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FACTS ABOUT GAEGUT TA 


National Board of the 
Young Women’s Christian Associations of the United States 
600 Lexington Avenue, New York 
1914 


Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2023 with funding from 
Columbia University Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/factsaboutcalcut0Ounse 


FACTS ABOUT CALCUTTA 
The City. 

Eighty miles from the Bay of Bengal and on the Hooghly River 
is the city of Calcutta, formerly the capital of India. Differing from 
many of the cities of India, Calcutta possesses substantial public 
buildings, clubs and business houses, which make it more European 
than any city of India except Bombay. Through contrast with the 
modern city there is apt to be an impression of meanness and squalor 
as regards the India city, which comprises a large part of the thirty- 
two square miles occupied by Calcutta. 


Climate and Vegetation. 

Spring and early summer in Calcutta bring flowers brilliant in 
color and heavy in fragrance. Some of the streets are bordered by 
palms, and luxuriant trees abound everywhere. Golden sunlight is 
followed by the deep mystery of tropical night. The summers are 
full of incessant, quivering heat and during the monsoon season 
the days are storm stressed. The winter season is exceedingly 
pleasant. It is a time of social pleasures. 


Races and Religion 


The races of Calcutta are Indian, European, Anglo Indian, Chi- 
nese and Armenians. The Indians number 896,000, of whom 288,000 


are women, the excess of men 
being due to immigration. The 
Europeans and Anglo Indians are ap- 
proximately the same in number, 13,- 
500, while the Chinese number 18,000 
there are less than 1,000 Armenians. 
The religious classification designates 
Europeans, Anglo Indians and Arme- 
nians as Christians, and of the Indian 
population 11,500 are included in the 
Christian faith, The Mohammedans 
number 241,000, the Hindus 604,000. 
The Chinese are followers of Buddha 
and of Confucius. Among educated 
Indians are many wholly agnostic in 
opinion. 


Indian Dohbi-Man. 


Population. 


The center of the city is very thickly populated by the poorer 
Hindus, whose living expense is thereby very high, but who find the 
central location of advantage for the securing of food supply, medi- 
cal aid, police protection and for easy proximity to the river, by 
whose shores are conducted many religious services. The richer por- 
tion of the population are to be found in the outskirts of the city, 
as they are more able to pay for transportation from their homes to 
the business section. The section of the city occupied by the Euro- 
pean population has wide streets, electric lights and modern sanitary 
improvements, while the Indian population is crowded into small 
mud huts or thatched-roof houses in streets twenty feet in width 
and having narrow lanes which never admit the sunlight. The heavy 
rains and dampness produce conditions favorable to epidemics. 
There is, however, in this Far Eastern city a “woman sanitary in- 
spector’” and a “corporation midwife.” The Indians’ observance of 
“purdah” makes necessary separate quarters for men and women in 
their houses, the women passing their lives in rear rooms badly ven- 
tilated, damp and dark. 


Employments of Women.* 


One-fifth of the women population is engaged in some kind of 
remunerative work. Of the 73,000 women there are in domestic 
service 22,000, as prostitutes 14,000, in industry 11,000 and in trades 
8,000. In the employment of typewriting and stenography, almost 
as many women as men are employed. 

Among the Anglo-Indian population 37 women for every 100 
men are at work. 

Among the Europeans 13 women for 100 men are at work. 

Among the Armenians 29 women for 100 men are at work. 

Among the Indian Christians 29 women for every 100 men. 

Among the Chinese 1 woman for every 100 men. 

Among the Hindus 15 women for every 100 men. 

Among the Mohammedans 4 women for every 100 men. 

The average wage of the women ranges from $5 to $50 per 
month. It is interesting to note what the husbands of the women 
do. Among Indians, they are engaged as artisans, traders, domestic 

*From the report of the investigations of the Social Service Committee of the 


Graduate Union of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Calcutta. This report 
has been widely used in all data herein. 


servants, contractors, clerks and cashiers, and in public employment. 
The Mohammedans monopolize the butcher and baker trades, and 
are engaged in building and tobacco trades, while a large number 
of them own horses and are drivers of carriages. The Hindus 
are more numerous in the professional employments than the Mo- 
hammedans. 


Indian Students’ Mission School. 


Education. 


Calcutta is the largest educational center in India. There are 
in the primary schools 5,376 pupils and in the higher schools there 
are 8,587 pupils, ‘while in the collegiate and normal institutions 
there are 250 young women. The number of illiterate women is 
appalling ; 250,000 out of 280,000 are totally illiterate! The lack of 
education among the Mohammedans is greatest; the Hindus being 
next in illiteracy. 


The Young Women’s 
Christian Association. 

The Young Women’s 
Christian Association is 
definitely engaged in in- 
ter-denominational, inter- 
national and _inter-racial 
work. The board and sec- 
retaries are British and 
American. In the member- 
ship are included Catholics, 
Protestants, Jews, Brahma 
Somaj, Hindus, Moham- . = 
medans, and Buddhists. Calcutta Building. 


Building. 

The building of the Association is modern in its construction, 
providing, in addition to club rooms, drawing rooms, class rooms, 
etc., the residence for several secretaries. The Association has also a 
boarding home for transient guests, students and residents. 


Drawing-Room, Calcutta Association. 


Religious Work. 


Twenty-seven weekly Bible classes are convened, some in the cen- 
tral institute, some in the boarding home, some in schools and others 
in outlying sections of the city. Eight of these classes are conducted 
in the Indian vernacular. 


Educational Work. 

The classes of the Association include nursing, English literature, 
Hindustani vernacular, first aid, cooking, dressmaking, hygiene and 
commercial branches. In the latter 123 women are enrolled. There 
is also an employment registry. 


Physical Work. 

In the rear of the building there is the large recreation ground, 
which, on account of its situation, makes it possible to hold there 
classes in physical instruction. During the summer time a cottage 
at the foot of the Himalayas affords for the membership a wonder- 
ful change from the heat-burdened life of the city. 


Student Work. 

Education has disturbed the old régime of mechanical home life. 
The Association is attempting, through hostels and class work, to pre- 
pare students for the changing conditions. 

In the student work are enrolled 405 of the 1,200 members. An 


Bible Class. 


Intercollegiate Day of sports is observed. Bible classes are held in 
various mission and government schools. A splendid work is being 


done by the Social Service Committee of the Graduates’ Union. 
These are women who have graduated from the colleges and univer- 
sities of India, Great Britain and America. They have made an orig- 
inal and comprehensive investigation of all phases of women’s life in 
Calcutta. Their published report is a model which any city may fol- 
low with profit. 


Secretaries. 


Calcutta has a staff of from three to seven secretaries. The 
United States has in Calcutta the following: 

Mary E. Rutherford as General Secretary, 

Margery Melcher as Student Secretary, 

Beatrice Cron as Business and Membership Secretary. 


